Tuesday, 30 October 2018

The enamel on our teeth is the hardest and most highly mineralised substance in our body. Whereas the tongue is the softest of all organs in the human body. And they both live side by side at one place which is inside our mouth. The tongue never comes to an argument with the tooth but only take care and serve them all. It very well knows, even a little bite from hardliner tooth will be severe and painful, it never retaliates back even though tongue is the hardest muscle in the body. What happens, as time goes on? The hardliner-tooth loses itself one by one. It is not able to withstand the tests of the end of times (old age). Whereas the soft tongue withstands the tests of time and remains as it is always. So the one who has forbearance and gentleness wins finally. Jarir bin 'Abdullah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who is deprived of forbearance and gentleness is, in fact, deprived of all good." [Muslim].PS: The word 'Sofliner' is not in the English dictionary. But easily understood as opposite of Hardliner. Oxford may add this word when there are enough softliners than hardliners.

Saturday, 15 September 2018

My child asked me, what's the difference between a Muslim and a Mu'min. I replied, Child ' It is like the difference between a Human being and being a Human. A human being is a general term for all who are born as a son of man. Whereas Being a human requires certain qualities. Likewise, a Muslim, in general, includes all those who have uttered the Islamic Creed, the Shahada. Then being a Muslim in practice is the Mu'min which requires certain qualities which Allah wants to have in a believer. There are sure signs and actions which we are informed as that of the believer. Like a tree when roots are firm inside shows the fruits externally. A Muslim is Mumin when fruits of faith appear in his life. Almost all the promises of Allah in the Quran are based on the qualities of a Mumin.We don't know what's in someone's heart. Hence we can only Judge someone to be a Muslim, and we cannot say or measure how much a Muslim is Mumin. For Example. A father who has two sons which one of them is a Hafiz, Alim and leads a pious life. Whereas the other is into a different lifestyle, who is hard to be recognised even a Muslim. The father at his deathbed makes a will to give the larger share of his wealth to the one who is a pious child. Will the Islamic court agree on this?. No, both his sons will have an equal share of the inheritance as a son. Both are Muslim in the sight of the law. Hence in physical judgement in this life, all are Muslims. But in the sight of Allah, those who strive to have the qualities he wants to have in Muslim are the Mumin. Muslim is a label and being a Muslim (in truth) is a Mumin. To be a Mumin requires endurance and sacrifices to build the qualities of a believer that's within.

The bedouins say: "We believe." Say: "You believe not, but you only say, 'We have surrendered (in Islâm),' for Faith has not yet entered your hearts. But if you obey Allâh and His Messenger (SAW), He will not decrease anything in reward for your deeds. Verily, Allâh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (Quran 49:13)

Monday, 6 August 2018

There is a flute and a rhythm, a cord touch that strikes the core of the heart in the recitation of the Quran. Your heart feels it and cannot deny a momentum of ecstasy that is experienced within rather than explained outer. As a thirsty person feels the intake of cold water, a listening heart surely feels the Quran. The Powerful and an everlasting Speech of the Most Merciful. May Allah bless this child. So beautifully recited.

Sunday, 6 May 2018

Recently
while making Tawaf, I was looking around my fellow Muslims and wondering about
where our differences are. Around me were thousands of Muslims performing the
acts of Tawaf in the same direction. It would have been a matter of concern and
true difference if few hundreds wanted to perform their Tawaf in the opposite
direction.

After a while when the prayer
started, I saw all standing behind a single Imam and performing their prayer.
It would have been a matter of difference if few hundreds still wanted to stand
when everyone was in Sujood.

I saw all praying in the same direction. It would
have been a matter of concern if few hundreds want their prayer direction different.

I saw every Haji wearing the Ihram the same type and color. It would have been
a bit of concern if few wanted their Ihram to be red or black. I did not find any!

Aren’t
the differences we think we have is mostly due to lack of broad-heartedness? If we could broaden our heart, isn't there space to fill in all?

Friday, 23 February 2018

Two blanket merchants were relaxing at the bank of a river. They had walked throughout the day door to door in the village selling blankets. Now as the sun was setting and Maghrib Call to prayer was about to happen, they were getting fresh for the prayer.

It was all of a sudden, they discovered a huge pile of blanket floating slowly in the water, a bit faraway but it was getting closer and closer. They could see in the dim light, it was huge blanket worth the catch. One of the merchant really wanted to own it while the other ignored it as the prayer was about to begin.

But the other friend continued to focus on the moving heap of wool to own it. Various, thoughts went through his mind. It may perhaps be the very fortune of his life’s dreams. It may be the gift of all these years of hardships. So, he set to go while his friend went for the prayer.

The other merchant returned back after the prayer. What he saw was his friend in fact wrestling in the river with the floating blanket. It was as if his friend was trying to hug the blanket and blanket was hugging back the friend harder. It was a kind of wrestling one another. The friend took out his search light from his bag to see what exactly his friend was trying to catch. To his amazement and fear, he saw it was a huge bear and not a blanket. His friend was now struggling for his very own life, to have an escape from the holds of the bear. He knew very well it was the final struggle of his friend as both have hugged firmly one another and there is no easy escape.

This is how Dunya is. Don’t think what comes to your life without the remembrance (zikr) of Allah (Prayer, Quran, Ibaadah etc) is a fortune. It is in fact the very Dunya that will not leave you until you are perished. Dunya is attractive but dangerous. If you give a hug to it, it will give you a harder hug. _The very attractiveness of this world that takes you away from the Zikr of Allah is your Dunya. Those things of this life which you are so attracted to and you went seeking after it placing the Zikr of Allah behind you and your greediness and dreams ahead of you, that’s your Dunya_. The attractive things may vary from person to person. You know what exactly what it is and you alone know. Put those things behind and let Zikr (remembrance) of Allah be ahead. This is when Dunya comes behind you in humble obedience and you walk towards your destination freely and blissfully.